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Picture this!
You’re standing on the ocean beach about half way up Bribie Island. You’re in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and you’ve got a beach rod in your hands. It’s about 2.30pm on the first Sunday in June, the sun is shining, it’s about 210C, the water is dead calm and warm, your 4WD is up on the dry sand, and you’ve got a good size flat-head in the bucket (eat your heart out Spacky). Way to the north you see a large aircraft heading your way, it’s only about 500ft AGL, and just out over the breakers. After a while you notice the familiar black clouds trailing each of its 4 engines, and then it comes into view. It’s one of 36Sqn’s Hercs out on manoeuvres. They’ve got it throttled way back, and as it rumbles over head at a speed that makes you wonder how the hell it stays up there you see a bunch of blokes hanging out the back door enjoying the view, and they give you a wave. Then it’s gone, and as it heads down the beach and turns left out towards Morton Island you see the sun gleaming on the back of those 4 huge spinning props. Isn’t there something about the look and sound of a big aeroplane with propellers? Bloody marvellous! |
| Diane Hubner, yours and Jenny Wren at Pt Cook. Memories ........ |
Point Cook.
Our mention last issue of the Point Cook Operations Ltd association (PCOL) brought in a few letters. If you remember, the PCOL want to try and stop the Minister from disposing of Point Cook, and instead preserve it and develop the museum on the base into a first class aviation military museum. From the letters we received, it looks like they might have missed the boat. One such letter went on to say:- "I was recently at both Laverton and Point Cook, and I can tell you that you would not recognise the place, particularly the road to Point Cook. About where the salt works used to be, on the city side of the road, is now the exclusive Greg Norman Sanctuary Marina with its first class golf course. I am not sure if the marina has bay access but I suspect it does as all the houses look very expensive. On the other side of the road which used to be open grazing paddocks is now "St Andrews of Point Cook". There is some really big money being spent here, and it doesn’t look like stopping. The airfields on both bases are no longer used by the RAAF. The Point Cook one is now used by RMIT for civil flying training and Laverton is used for motor vehicle testing and advanced driver training (can you believe that!!). The only RAAF unit still operating on Point Cook is the Officer Training School as the School of Language was moved to Laverton some time ago. Both are open bases and you can drive straight in, no more guards. There is an excellent RAAF Museum at Point Cook that is well worth a visit, I think it definitely has to be preserved.A small boy was in his back yard digging a large hole. The next door neighbour looked over the fence and saw the boy and said:
"What are you digging the hole for?"
"To bury my gold fish" said the boy.
"That hole’s way too big just to bury a small little fish" said the man.
"No it’s not" said the boy, "my fish is inside your cat!!"
We received this poem from a friend by way of email. It was reportedly written by a terminally ill young girl from her hospital bed in New York. We think it’s worth sharing with you.
SLOW DOWN
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down - don't dance so fast,
Time is short, the music won't last.
Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?" do you hear the reply?
When the day is done do you lie in your bed?
With the next hundred chores running through your head.
You'd better slow down - don't dance so fast,
Time is short, the music won't last.
Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die?
Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi".
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast,
Time is short, the music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....thrown away.
Life is not a race. Do take it slower,
Hear the music before the song is over.
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